People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Olabode George has condemned the new trend of judges overturning politicians’ electoral victories.
The remarks were in response to the controversy surrounding the Kano State Court of Appeal ruling.
The Court of Appeal invalidated the election of Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf Kano, while declaring Gauna the winner of the state gubernatorial election.
However, when the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the decision was published, the Court of Appeals upheld Yusuf as governor of Kano State.
The Court of Appeal attributed the discrepancy to a clerical error.
In response, George said he was saddened to see that Nigerians no longer trust the judiciary.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, the PDP leader said:
When the people no longer trust the third arm of government, there will be anarchy.
Clearly, the unholy alliance between some politicians and judges is dangerous to democracy. On election day, millions of people will line up, collect their ballots, vote for their favored candidate, the results will be announced, and everyone will rejoice.
The best thing for the judiciary to do in a political case is to rule, and if there is a discrepancy, to order a re-election without giving party A or party B the victory.
It is wrong to remove the power of the electorate to choose political leaders and let the judiciary decide the winner.” This is not good for Nigeria. It is not good for the electoral system. A compromised judiciary is dangerous.”